The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-04-29

A Private Soldier States a Problem
A Contrast.
At the time, In the latter part of June,
1854, it was freely charged by the gener-
ais employed in the Army of the Potomac
that that army was not fighting as
stanchly at Petersburg as it had fought
in the Wilderness or at Spottsylvania.
The charge was true. We had seen regl-
ments melt before the heat of the COnfed-
crate battle-fre, until scant hundred
men fell into line when the drum tapped.
We had seen brigades fall into battle line
300 muskets strong. Once at Cold Har-
Dor two regiments were sent to support
my battery. / smiled sOrrOwfully at the
scanty array. One hundred and twenty
muskets, sixty files, were all that were
left of two DeIaw regiments. We had
seen heavy artillery regiments, which
Joined US at Spottsylvania 1,5OO, LOCO
LOO men strong, fall into line before
Petersburg, 400, 500, 900 men strong, and
to come back from the assault delivered
on June IS, 1864, still weaker The en-
listed men who passed unframed through
the frightful carnage judged the losses
the army suffered by the actual losses
that had occurred in regiments with
which we were familiar.
To the official figures. During May,
1864, which period of time includes the
prolonged study of the Confederate en-
trepchments at North Anna, the
Army of the Potomac lost 395
officers killed. 1913 wounded and
211 missing Five or six general off
GERS were killed and ten or twelve wounded
during this month. In the same month
5,1S9 enlisted men were killed, 81 40
wounded, and ,239 were missing. From
May 81 to Oct. %, the day on which the
campaign practically ended, there were
in the Potomac army 401 officers killed,
1,453 wounded, and 564 missing; during
the same time 1857 enlisted men were
killed, "a, 40 were wounded, and 5,844
were missing The aggregate losses after
the igh ting at North Anna were 46, $50 en-
listed men and officers.
GENERALS KILLED AND WOUNDED.
And in this appalling number, stricken
when the army was well nigh discOur-
aged, and when the soldiers needed, if
ever battle-worn troops did need, the
presence of their generals, and needed to
be reused to enthusiasm and valor by gal
liant leaders, the enlisted men never heard
of but one general officer being killed. He
was Brig Gen. Burnham. They heard OF
one or two other generals being wounded,
and of two being captured. During the
same time-that is, after the battle OF
North Anna-we learned that the COnfed-
crate Gems. Doles, Chambliss, Gherardie,
Donovan and Gregg had been killed, and
many of their generals wounded. And 1t
must be remembered that the COnfeder-
ate general was behind sheltering earth
works with their troops. The execution
of their duty made it essential that they
should be there Our losses of general
officers, if they had fearlessly performed
their duty, would have been at least four
times as heavy as those of the Confeder
ates. Instead of one Union generals be
ing killed to IA, 600 enlisted men stricken
In battle, there should have been at least
twenty of them killed and eighty of them
wounded, and there would have been if
they had done their duty as the Coufeder
ate generals did theirs.
Let me go west, and to the battle of
Franklyn to illustrate my meaning On
the afternoon of Nov. 80 1864, the Confed-
crate generals led their veteran infantry
to the assault against the hastily con-
structed union earthworks, thrown up
across broad neck of land formed by
bend in the HSrpeth river, in Tennessee
The attack began at p. m 1t was dark
at p. m. The fight lasted until about 10
p. m. Say six hours Of fighting, four of
which was performed after dark, when it
was impossible for infantry to select gen;
erals as targets, or to shoot accurately.
The Confederates lost about 5000 enlisted
men in this action. The problem for the
simple one in proportion. They had bet
ter figure it out for themselves. It is
this:
THE PROBLEM STATED.
If one Union general was killed and two
were wounded during continuous battle
In Virginia which lasted from May 81 to
Oct. % (150 days., and in which the Union
losses were officially stated at 46,989 en-
listed men and officers, how many Con.
federate generals should have been killed
and wounded in a fight lasting six hours,
and in which their losses of enlisted men
and regimental officers were 5000? Ignor@
ing the factor represented by the duration
OF the fight and the problem can be statea
clearly:
AS 46,9ss are to 8, so will 5000 be to IT,.
answer.
The answer is not to be found by arith
metical rules, which in this case would
have to be cased on the alleged valoroRs
conduct of Union generals belonging t.
the Army of the Potomac. These six
hours of fighting in Tennessee, six hours
OF assaulting Union earthworks, cost the
Confederates four generals killed and six
so severely wounded that they left the
front. In truth, every general in the
Confederate army which fought at Frank
lin, except Gen. Hood, was either killer
or wounded. So fought the Confederate
16aQcES IL GuS- 90
teer generals, men bred to agriculture aro
living ON their plantations, led their sol
diers to death and shared it with them.
Now, did our generals Il write as pri.
vate) shirk their duty? Or did they rush
into the battle gayly, and stanchly aid
their subordinate commanders and e3
cape death by rare good luck?
The soldiers q write of the volunteers
looked upon the army as body of men
who had taken service together to sup
press a great political rebellion against
their republican government. Some OF
these men were Of necessity generals
more were regimental officers, the most
of them were privates. Before the wa1
there was but little difference between the
men socially. The enlisted men they
thought, and I still think, that the gener
ais having been selected as leaders, pre-
sumably because Of their superior mill
tary skill and perfect courage, should
have fought side by side with their sol
diers, that theirs should have ben the
dangerous work of inspecting the confe.s